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Thursday, 22 November 2007

Strudlhof Steps in NovemberAutumn in Vienna

There are so many places
I like to visit during Vienna's glorious autumn season,
from the various gardens
of the Upper and of the Lower Belvedere,
to the rose garden in the Volksgarten,
and the vineyards beyond, up in the hills.

I spend hours, if not days,
looking down into our apartment's "Secret Garden",
watching the leaves turn golden.

I love to walk through Schönbrunn Park,
up to the Gloriette, and from there
to the entrance gate of the Schönbrunn Zoo.
The forest in that area of the park
is left to its own rhythm,
you can hear a tree fall and the birds sing,
while strolling
through a gently rolling wooded countryside.

So many beautiful places,
but for me none exerts greater allure
than the Strudlhof Steps.

When the leaves begin to fall,
the memory of autumn's past
pulls me towards that magic place.

I have to walk down those steps,
listen to the leaves' gentle rustling,

breath in the essence of life,
the last greeting from summer's gentle heat,
a promise of golden days still ahead.

So I walk along the lane
which leads to the upper landing

and as I begin my descent,
wistful step by wistful step,
I begin to feel a sense of peace and belonging.

At the lower landing of the steps,
I pause, to read this poem,
carved in stone:

On the Strudlhof Steps in Vienna

When the leaves upon the steps are lying
from the old stairs is heard an autumn sighing
of all that's gone across them in the past
A moon in which a couple, holding fast,
embraces, lightweight shoes and heavy footfall
the mossed urn in the middle, by the wall,
outlasts the year between the wars and dying.

So much is past and gone, to our dismay,
And beauty shows the frailest power to stay.

BRUCE:Thank you, I can already smell it!Now, where is that United Parcel guy? Not eating my turkey, I hope! :-)I took the photos just before the snow came down, interrupting our autumn days so cruelly, and infact ending the party!

MY MELANGE:I'm afraid my picture do not really to justice to the beauty and majesty of those steps! They are magical. Happy Thanksgiving to you too! :-)

SEEKING SIMPLICITY:Yes, that is exactly what one experiences, walking down those steps. As I said, magic. Thank you, you have yourself a happy Thanksgiving weekend! :-)

I love the tree in the first photo. Do you know what it is called? So there are still leaves on the trees in Vienna? I still have leaves on the oak tree and the sycamores still have a few, but all the rest have dropped now. Moor raking the lawn.

Thanks for your history of the strudel. If I remember correctly, the unhappy couple were kicked out of the Garden for nicking the apple, so it must have been some other place they invented the strudel pastry. Good thing it didn't get drowned in the Great Flood and Mrs Noah had the sense to take the recipe on board with her, or we would never have tasted STRUDEL and what a loss that would have been for man and womankind!

hate to be a worry-wart but I have to side with freefalling... a bit concerned. Hope all is well with you and your family. See, I can leave my blog on autopilot for weeks on end and nobody bats an eye, but you, you're a trooper! Every day! (not expected, mind you, but it is a routine). Again, hope all is well :)

Micah:I am sorry that I got you worried about me. I tried to, but couldn't come up with any post idea. Total paralysis during the last couple of days, but as you can see from my new post, catharsis has set in at last. ;-)

Kate:"I particularly like the tones and hues of the first photo and love the last one because of the air of mystery surrounding the departing figure."Kate, from dozens of photos, I chose those two exactly for the reasons you describe so eloquently. Thank you for appreciating my choice! :-)

simon:Ever since I had read the novel, I wanted to walk those stairs. Now I can walk them often, thank heaven. They captivate me, they are magic indeed!

Becca:Yes, beautiful and romantic, both. :-) I can't get enough of them. Infact, today I shall walk down those steps again. Fall has turned very winter-like, but I am fine, thank you! :-)

LADY LUXIE:Thank you. :-)The poem "sings" better in the original German. My sprachgefühl is not too happy with the translation. As so often, it is very difficult, if not impossible, not to loose the power of the original words.Young Amber's loss is sad to no end.

Merisi: thanks for sharing your beautiful city, I especially love the third photo of the view looking up the steps, the perspective here is great, really makes me want to climb the steps and admire the view! The caped gentleman is a great captured moment. Lovely post, as always :)

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About Merisi's Vienna

I seek to capture the beauty that is present in every day, and there is inevitably so much more than I could ever expect to grasp.

National Geographic Travelerabout Merisi's: This regularly updated photo blog offers 'virtual postcards from Vienna.' Each entry features a collection of photos from Merisi's excursions around town. This is a great place to start if you are looking for some local perspective.

Spotted by Locals
Merisi’s blog is a venture through the best photos of the Viennese landscape of a local: the Viennese dogs, the spring, and especially the cafes!
If you live in Vienna, this blog is gonna make you feel like you’re missing out on something and if you’ve been there, you’ll definitely wish you never left!